You'd think that if there's one thing most cities have a lot of, it's pizza, so you'd have to go extra mile to avoid going bankrupt within a year. Salve in the Ninth District has only been open for a few months, but 70% of their clientele are already returning...
According to an international survey across 24 countries, pizza the most popular food in the world. Flatbread baked in an oven was baked in prehistoric times, but what we think of today as pizza was made by the Romans in the 18th century and was the food of the peasants. And the Neapolitans originally stuffed it with fat, garlic and salt. In the last 3 centuries everything has been put on it and into it, made with thick and thin pastry, its popularity is proving unbroken.
Pizza di napoli
Salve, on the corner of Thaly Kálmán and Tűzoltó streets, is the leader of the Neapolitan pizza scene. The two owners, Zoltán and his wife Giulietta Varga, who boasts an Italian accent, have been in the pizza business for a while, but they wanted a place that was completely under their own steam. All the more so because they were starting to outgrow their previous place. After raising the necessary capital, they renovated the former café space all on their own. The interior is welcoming, clean and modern, with the main attraction being the large Italian hand sign on the wall, which doubles as a logo, making the tiny ground floor space look larger. „Salve, by the way, is Italian for ’hello’. Zoli came up with it, but I liked it immediately. It's simple to say, easy to remember, just the way it should be. The logo was my idea, but I think the two really work together,” says Giuli.
Quality rather than quantity
Although he is the one who brings the Italian virtus, it is her husband who has perfected the recipe and his love of Neapolitan pizza. They work with 72-hour doughs, which are risen and baked to perfection with the utmost attention. One of the great advantages of their new premises is the addition of a larger oven, which means they can now bake 6 pizzas at a time, a big leap for them, and two chefs can now work at the same time. Even though they can seat 30-30 people on the terrace and inside, they don't stop for a minute because they also do delivery. They currently make 12 different types of pizza, from the great classics like margherita and prosciutto to specialities like mascarpone based truffling or bresaoling. The latter, by the way, is a very dark-coloured, slightly smoky Italian beef sausage, which goes well with the slightly sweet flavour of the tomato base. The truffles are super creamy and have just the right amount of oil on top, not overpowering everything. Another big favourite is the N'duja (Italian Calabrian hot sausage), if you're a fan of spicy flavours, definitely try it!
As with the Neapolitan pizzas, you can feel here in all the ingredients that they are dealing with really quality products and, most importantly, the dough can also prevail. They also struggle with sourcing ingredients and price rises, but they refuse to compromise on quality. „I don't want pizza to be a luxury, but the price of cheese, for example, is going up terribly, which is one of the biggest batch-selling ingredients for us”.
A little bit of magic
The secret of their success is clearly their consistent quality and family atmosphere. „If someone wants to eat a good pizza, we are definitely the place to be. Since we live in the 9th district and the previous location was here, we had no intention of moving anywhere else. It's clear that there's a need for a good pizza place in the area.” There is no doubt about it, especially as Semmelweis University is right next door, so many students go there for lunch. Most of the staff are brought along, so they contribute to the good atmosphere. „As cliché as it may sound, everyone here loves what they do and it shows. I'm here almost all the time and people like to see familiar faces and have a chat.”
In addition to pizza, you should also stop by for a late breakfast. Their focaccia is already very popular, and they make 5 halves of it. They have something for everyone, with vegan, tuna and two ham options. These are worth ordering if you're really hungry, as they're not small portions. If you're looking for a more subdued start to the day, you can order an acai bowl, Greek yoghurt or salad. And if you really want to maximise your vitamins, go for the smoothies. Of course, it wouldn't be a real Italian place without a little dolce, so for those who can't end their meal without dessert, you can rest easy.
Salve is definitely a bright spot in Ferencváros, because there are not many really good places on this side of the boulevard, apart from Corvin promenade. We hope that soon more restaurateurs will see the potential of the area.
Address: 1096 Budapest, Thaly Kálmán utca 50.
